Critical Judgment (1996) Read Online Free PDF Page A

wantedto move here because your fiancé had relocated to work for Colstar.”
    Actually, he’s not technically my fiancé. We haven’t really set a date
. She could have said it but didn’t.
And yes, the tension has everything to do with how things are at home
.
    “Things are fine with Josh,” she said. “Thanks for asking. It’s me. You know, you may not believe this, but I’ve been scared stiff about coming here since the moment you called to tell me I had the job.”
    “I understand. Patience is a far cry from Union Street and Golden Gate Park.”
    “Believe it or not, it wasn’t the town. It was the hospital. I went from med school to training to a staff ER position at St. John’s. Except for a little moonlighting I’ve always had the protective cocoon of knowing specialty help was never more than a few floors away. I have this overwhelming admiration for docs in remote ERs who have to do the whole thing themselves. Everything. The pediatric trauma and the adult codes. The stabilizing orthopedics and respiratory failure. Even the emergency neurosurgery.”
    “We’re not
that
remote, Abby. We have a helipad. San Francisco’s just an hour or so from here by chopper.”
    “Weather permitting. Don’t misunderstand me, George. I love the feeling that no matter what happens, no matter what’s thrown at me, I’ll know what to do about it. It’s just that for the last ten years I’ve always been able to call for help.”
    “We’ve got a hell of a staff for a hospital this size.”
    “I know. Hey, I don’t mean to sound like a wimp. And I understand that the most any of us can ever do is our best. But I still don’t like making errors.”
    “None of us does.”
    “For the four weeks between hearing from you that I got this job and actually starting it, I spent almost every free moment studying.”
    “Judging from your résumé and letters of recommendation, I would never have guessed that.”
    “Well, it’s true. And I think if I’ve seemed tense to people, that’s the reason. A community hospital is uncharted waters for me. I don’t want to make a mistake. Reputations in hospitals, especially negative ones, are created very quickly and recast very slowly.”
    “That’s precisely why I called you in today. I want your reputation here to reflect the fine physician you are. Nothing else.”
    Abby’s page summoned her to the ER at almost the instant Oleander’s receptionist knocked and peered in around the door.
    “That was the ER, Dr. Dolan,” she said. “Just three patients waiting. Nothing critical.”
    “Thank you.”
    “I’m sorry I missed you when you arrived. I was over at the lab. I wanted to thank you for doing such a good job on my nephew Brendan’s cut chin. He’s only five. I’m sure you don’t remember him, but—”
    “As a matter of fact, I remember him very well. We redheads pay attention to one another.”
    “My sister said you kept whispering to him while you were getting ready to sew him up.”
    Abby smiled. “I was just reminding him that he was in charge, and that I would stop anytime he told me to. When I was a kid, I used to hate the feeling of losing control of any situation, especially one in the hospital or dentist’s office. In fact, I still feel that way. I always try to make sure kids know they still have power.”
    “Well, my sister said you were just great with him. Do you have children?”
    “No … no, my fiancé and I hope to have some before too much longer, though.”
    “Well, I hope you do.”
    The woman smiled, pulled her head back, and closed the door.
    “I rest my case,” Oleander said. “Everyone in Patienceis connected in
some
way or other with everyone else. And no one is more important than the doctors. You’ve already made a great impression on the town. You just have to practice being a little gentler on the staff.”
    “Consider it done.”
    “Thank you.”
    Abby stood and shook Oleander’s hand.
    “I’m curious,” she